The Audi Lucca Comes to Life at Goodwood Festival of Speed

This past May, Audi Tradition unveiled their recreation of the legendary Lucca. The vehicle was appropriately hosted in the Italian city where it made history (see full article here). Fortunately, Audi Tradition is making it possible for fans to see it in person and in public. Those interested in witnessing the Lucca in action should know that that Audi Tradition plans to demonstrate this car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Chichester in West Sussex, England, July 9 – 12.  

The original 1935 car was produced by Auto Union, the precursor to Audi. It was an engineering marvel, achieving a land speed record of 326.975 km/h (about 203 mph) and an average speed of 320.267 km/h while being tested on the autostrada near the town of Lucca in Italy.

The 1930s were a golden age of experimentation for the Auto Union, focusing on record-breaking and pushing technology forward at such a rapid pace that it was difficult for rivals such as Mercedes to keep up.

To achieve success its speed record endeavor, company engineers even utilized wind-tunnel testing, a relatively new approach in automotive design at the time. Working with the Berlin-Adlershof Aeronautical Research Institute, they developed a streamlined body that prioritized aerodynamic efficiency. The result was a body and chassis optimized for speed, and  a design that remains iconic to this day.

Also included in this replica model is a 16-cylinder engine, similar to the original. While the original version in 1935 produced around 343 horsepower, some suspect that Auto Union’s later developments would have pushed outputs even higher. This power plant, combined with its lightweight construction and aerodynamic body, made the car capable of speeds that seemed almost unimaginable for the time. 

The Goodwood Festival speed remains one of the most celebrated automotive events in the world, taking place the Duke of Richmond’s estate in Chichester, West Sussex, England since 1993. Audi Tradition will likely bring other accolades, with last year’s party including the last generation of Le Mans winners, a Type A, and new models. We suspect that the RS 5 and perhaps the Nuvolari may be in attendance for this year’s festivities.

In addition to Audi Tradition’s demonstration of the Lucca at this year’s Festival of Speed in Goodwood, they will also have a presence at the Eifel Rallye Festival (July 23-25) in Daun, located in the Vulkaneifel mountains of Germany, as well as the Heidelberg Historic (July 9-11), and the Donau Classic (July 17-18).

For those interested in more Audi Tradition events and special exhibitions this summer, visit Audi-Mediacenter.com.